We were camping when an unexpected cold snap caused some damage to the RV.  We searched the Internet to find a place that had the necessary parts and found such a business   A quick call confirmed that they were open and had the needed parts. So now it was up to us to get there.

 I pulled out the trusty GPS that is created specifically for the intrepid RV camper and put in the address. [I should note that our children or grandchildren can’t say that we are technology adverse … okay, we don’t tweet, but we have the computer and GPS down pat!]  Anyway, we plugged in the address, I picked up my camera and we were ready for adventure.

We found the store, purchased the necessary supplies, and began our trek back to the campground when the GPS flashed at me just as we came to several intersecting roads and my husband was asking what the road name was that we should be watching for … but the road name was not flashing before my eyes.  Rather, the GPS said “LOW POWER” and, immediately thereafter it announced that it was “POWERING OFF”.   Then, it just went blank.  Not even a “sorry” or “I tried” or “You have 1 more minute”.  Just … well, nothing.  It apparently didn’t care if we got lost!

I couldn’t believe it.  In my second of need, it was “powering off.”  My frustration stemmed from the fact that, unlike my husband, I get lost in a paper bag.  I am the one who, in Walmart, will turn left into the main aisle thinking I am going to the checkout lane and wind up in sporting goods at the back of the store.  If there are two directions to select from, I will ALWAYS pick the wrong one.

Anyway, I was the one who had insisted that we purchase this GPS, even though my husband has a virtually infallible sense of direction, simply because I do not.  I wanted to have my own backup plan … assuring myself that we could find our way home if something happened to his directional instincts.  So, we purchased this fancy-dancy GPS thing and now, when he actually asked me a directional question, in my truest hour of need, it is “powering off”.

Rather than the GPS, my husband depended on his own God-given instincts we navigated down the road, without difficulty.  Although I was fuming about the GPS when  we stopped at a red light, I spotted something that would make an incredible picture.  I grabbed my camera, pushed the on button, and it came on only to blink and say … wait for it … “Low Battery”.  My trusty little red camera that fits into my purse blinked into cyberspace and left me holding a red metal box as my photo shot slipped past my window.  Although I waived the camera at the window, it was powerless to take the picture.

Inside the car, I went into full scale fume mode, when my husband said simply “We’ll just plug them into the chargers when we get back to the RV.”

How simple, yet how profound.  Recharge!  That’s the answer for the electronic messages that had disrupted my day.  But what about spiritually?  How do we get our spiritual power?  And, when we have exhausted our power, how do we recharge?

In Acts 1:8, Scripture records Jesus as promising that his disciples would “receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” so we can be witnesses for Him.” [i]  We understand this coming of the Holy Spirit as the day of Pentecost, and because of that day, we believe that the Holy Spirit is within us, as Jesus promised.  John 14:16-17.

But the Holy Spirit’s presence with us is not the whole answer to the “recharge” question.  We must avail ourselves of that power.  I had chargers available at the camp site but the GPS had not been plugged in – now, it was unable to give me the information that I needed when I needed it.  It had no power even though that power had been available.

Likewise, simply having the Scripture in your hand, purse, pocket or shelf, is not availing yourself of the power which otherwise would be provided. This realization prompted me to consider how often I had ignored going to the Scripture to charge my spiritual batteries.

I had time for many other things, but, I did not have time to quell the growling hunger for my Lord by feeding on the nourishment of His Word in Holy Scripture.  Daily activities took priority over quiet time with Him that would have prepared me for those encounters that He had prearranged for me to handle according to His will, not mine. Ephesians 2:10.

Did my spiritual red light flash “Powering Off” when the assignment came because my batteries had not been charged through reading His Word with contemplation and prayer and then praising Him for His excellent goodness and mercy?

Or, did I not even see the assignment that He had for me that day because my spiritual eyes and ears did not have sufficient power to even recognize the call to present Christ to those around me?

Scripture states that the Spirit and Scripture were given to us so that we would be complete and equipped for every good work that God has for us to do.   2 Peter 1:3 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

The kicker is that we must plug ourselves in to the Source of our Power.  Seek the Lord and He will be found.  He is waiting for you.   Deuteronomy 4:29.   Beloved, don’t delay – go to the source of all power and life, Jesus Christ and His Word.

I wonder, what difference would it make in my day if I spent time with Him, rather than with the weather channel or with the evening news?  Do I yearn to learn more of God and of His Christ by reading the only instruction book written by the Sovereign Holy God?

Have you gotten power for your day?

[i] The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, Acts 1:8